Ink container



zmmma- L. A. PAUL Nov. 5, 1935.

INK CONTAINER Filed Dec. 15, 1933 HIS ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 5, 1935 NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

My invention relates to ink containers, and has among its objects and advantages the provision of an improved fountain ink well.

This invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In describing my invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawing wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an ink botttle illustrating a portion of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional View of the device;

Fig. 3 is a View taken along the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the fountain portion; and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2, illustrating another form.

In the embodiment selected to illustrate my invention, I make use of a bottle I!) which may be of conventional design having screw threads l2 for the reception of a screw cap M. The bottom l6 may be provided with a circular bead I8 arranged to guide the lower end of a plunger 20 centrally positioned within the bottle and having a head 22 fitting loosely Within the neck of the bottle and terminating short of its end. A rubber vacuum cup 24 is attached to the lower end of the plunger 20 and is positioned within the circular bead l8, to prevent lateral shifting of the lower end of the plunger beyond the confines I of the bead. A shank 26 formed integrally with the cup 24 is pressed into a bore 28 in the end of the plunger. Both the shank and the end of the plunger are provided with an additional bore 30 to receive a sleeve 32 pressed into the bores.

Referring to Fig. 2, the plunger 20 is preferably molded of hard rubber with a conduit 34 communicating with the vacuum cup 24 through the medium of a bore 36 and the sleeve 32. Thus, pressure upon the head 22 causes the cup 24 to be collapsed and force the ink confined therein upwardly through the bore 34 and into the well 38. I provide an enlargement 40 at the top end of the head 22 extending over the open end of the well. The upper end of the .bore passes through the enlargement so that the ink is discharged into'the well 38 by a downward movement.

In Fig. 3, I illustrate the enlargement 40 as extending beyond the normal curvature of the head 22 as at 42. Thus, the vertical axis of the head 22 is positioned to one side of the vertical axis of the bottle to provide a space 44 upon two sides of the enlargement. This space provides an overflow opening permitting the bottle to be filled 5 with the plunger mechanism placed in position. Thus, it is unnecessary to remove any part pre paratory to supplying the bottle with ink.

A small projection 46 is formed integrally with the cup 24, see Figs. 2 and 4. Thus, the end of the cup 24 is spaced from the bottom of the bottle as indicated at 48 to permit ink to flow into the cup. A slight pressure upon the head 22 causes the end of the cup 24 to make a complete seal with respect to the bottom of the bottle, so that continued pressure upon the head will cause all the ink within the cup to flow upwardly. The point of a pen may be used for depressing the plunger. However, I illustrate a finger 50 formed integrally with the cap l4 and extending beyond its flange which may be used for depressing the plunger. The upper surface of the enlargement 40 provides an effective pressure surface.

My construction provides a small pool of ink situated within the neck of the bottle near its top. Thus, the pool is easily available without necessitating the passing of the pen through the neck of the bottle. This feature eliminates the accumulation of ink upon the pen holder which so frequently happens in connection with ordinary ink bottles. The enlargement 40 extending over the well 38 provides a convenient element for cleaning the point of the pen and helps to keep the neck of the bottle clean. I illustrate ledges 52 and 54 as partly defining the bottom of the well 38. This construction gives the well areas of different depths, and permits the user to dip the pen into pools of desired depth.

A different form of construction is illustrated in Fig. 5. In this form the bottom of the bottle is provided with a slight depression 56 for receiving the end of a spring 58 tending to hold-the cup 60 in spaced relation with the bottom iii. In this form, the. bead l8 may be dispensed with since the spring 58 tends to prevent lateral shifting of the plunger.

The capacity of the cup 24 is greater than the capacity of the conduit in the plunger so that a single depression of the plunger 20 will be sufficient to deposit ink in the well 38 where the level of this ink within the bottle proper permits a suflicient amount to flow into the cup 24. It requires very little ink to fill the conduit because of its small diameter, so that the greater part of the ink trapped in the cup will flow into the well.

I may design the head 22 to fit snugly within the neck of the bottle and provide an indentation in the outer wall of the head throughout its entire length to provide an overflow in lieu of the eccentric position of the head, as illustrated. Such construction would obviate the necessity for a specially designed bottom to prevent lateral shifting of the plunger.

It is thought from the foregoing description that the advantages and novel features of my invention will be readily apparent.

I desire it to be understood that I may make changes in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:-

1. In a bottle having a bottom and a neck, a pliuiger having a collapsible cup resting upon said bottom and a head positioned within said neck, said head being provided with a well, said head and said plunger being provided with a conduit establishing communication between the cup and said well, said cup' being provided with means normally holding the cup in spaced relation with said bottom, the end of the conduit communicating with said well being arranged to discharge ink in the direction of the bottom of the bottle.

2. The combination with a bottle having a neck, of a plunger positioned within the bottle and having an ink well positioned within the neck of the bottle, a collapsible ink feeding member associated with said plunger and arranged in operative relation with the bottom of the bottle to feed ink upwardly through a conduit in the plunger communicating with said well upon depressing the plunger against said bottom, said well being provided with an enlargement extending over the well and defining the discharge end of said conduit, and means normally holding the collapsible member in spaced relation with the bottom of the bottle, said means being collapsible to permit sealed relation between the ink feeding means and the bottom of the bottle upon a slight pressure on the plunger.

3. In an ink bottle having a neck, a plunger, a well carried by one end of the plunger and loosely positioned Within the neck of the bottle, a collapsible inverted cup connected with the opposite end of the plunger and lying upon the bottom of the bottle, said plunger and said Well being provided with a common ink conduit communicating with the cup and the well above its bottom for delivering ink to the well when the cup is collapsed, and means carried by the cup for normally holding the same in slightly spaced relation with the bottom of the bottle, said means being collapsible when the cup is collapsed for establishing a sealed relation between the cup and the bottom.

LAWRENCE A. PAUL. 

